Sajjad Karim
Encyclopedia
Sajjad Haider Karim also known as Saj ( born 11 July 1970) is a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) for North West England
.
Karim was the first British Muslim elected to the European Parliament on 4 June 2004. He was re-elected in June 2009.
. He attended Walter Street County primary school Brierfield and thereafter Mansfield High School, Brierfield. He completed his A levels at Nelson and Colne College before studying Law at University. Karim attended the College of Law
in Chester studying Law
. He qualified as a Solicitor
of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1997.
His earliest political activity started with leafleting at the age of seven for the then Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Pendle
. He later joined the Liberal Democrats
in 1989. Sajjad was elected a member of Pendle Borough Council
in 1994 and served until 2002 representing Brierfield ward.
In his first term Karim served on the International Trade
Committee, Committee of Judicial Affairs and Human Rights
Committees and was a Member of the European Parliament's "Committee of Investigation into alleged CIA extraordinary rendition
s and secret prisons" after having been the first European Parliamentarian to officially raise the matter. He was the European Legal Affairs Spokesperson and served as a Conservative whip. He was the European Parliamentary rapporteur for the EU-India Free Trade Agreement.
In 2005, he established the European Parliament Friends of Pakistan Group, which he chairs. He is also a member of the Friends of India and Friends of Bangladesh Groups.
He is the Vice-President of the European Parliament's Equality and Diversity Intergroup and Co-Chair of the European Muslim Forum. He has focused on the rise of intolerance in Europe in recent years, notably the rise of Islamophobia
and anti-Semitism
.
Karim is interested in human rights issues including child labour and the civil liberties
of EU citizens in the War on Terror
. He led the successful European Union
contribution to the campaign for the commutation of the death penalty
of British man, Mirza Tahir Hussain
, who had spent half of his life on death row in Pakistan, for a crime he maintains he did not commit.
In December 2009, Karim was appointed as the Legal Affairs Spokesperson for the Conservative Group in the European Parliament. Karim also now serves on the Industry, Research and Energy Committee and is a substitute member of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.
He is currently a member of the delegations with the Mashreq countries and the delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and a substitute member on the delegation for relations with Canada.
On 26 November 2008, whilst visiting India as part of a European Parliament Committee on International Trade
delegation (ahead of an EU-India summit), he was caught up in the Mumbai attacks in the lobby of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
hotel. Speaking to the Associated Press while holed up in the hotel's restaurant shortly after the terrorists gained control of the hotel, Karim said "I was in the main lobby and there was all of a sudden a lot of firing outside...all of a sudden another gunmen appeared in front of us, carrying machine gun-type weapons. And he just started firing at us ... I just turned and ran in the opposite direction."
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
(MEP) for North West England
North West England (European Parliament constituency)
North West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For the 2009 elections it elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
.
Karim was the first British Muslim elected to the European Parliament on 4 June 2004. He was re-elected in June 2009.
Early life
Karim, who is a British Pakistani, was born in Blackburn in LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. He attended Walter Street County primary school Brierfield and thereafter Mansfield High School, Brierfield. He completed his A levels at Nelson and Colne College before studying Law at University. Karim attended the College of Law
The College of Law
The College of Law of England and Wales is a private educational institution in England and a registered charity which provides legal education for students and professionals.-20th century:...
in Chester studying Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. He qualified as a Solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1997.
His earliest political activity started with leafleting at the age of seven for the then Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Pendle
Pendle (UK Parliament constituency)
Pendle is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
. He later joined the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
in 1989. Sajjad was elected a member of Pendle Borough Council
Pendle Borough Council
Pendle Borough Council is a district council in England, that has authority covering the borough of Pendle in Lancashire.-2006 Local Elections:...
in 1994 and served until 2002 representing Brierfield ward.
Member of the European Parliament
Karim, who is the first British Muslim elected to the European Parliament, was elected to represent the North West England in 2004 as a Liberal Democrat. On 26 November 2007 he re-joined the Conservative Party and was re-elected to the European Parliament in June 2009.In his first term Karim served on the International Trade
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
Committee, Committee of Judicial Affairs and Human Rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
Committees and was a Member of the European Parliament's "Committee of Investigation into alleged CIA extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
s and secret prisons" after having been the first European Parliamentarian to officially raise the matter. He was the European Legal Affairs Spokesperson and served as a Conservative whip. He was the European Parliamentary rapporteur for the EU-India Free Trade Agreement.
In 2005, he established the European Parliament Friends of Pakistan Group, which he chairs. He is also a member of the Friends of India and Friends of Bangladesh Groups.
He is the Vice-President of the European Parliament's Equality and Diversity Intergroup and Co-Chair of the European Muslim Forum. He has focused on the rise of intolerance in Europe in recent years, notably the rise of Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
and anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
.
Karim is interested in human rights issues including child labour and the civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
of EU citizens in the War on Terror
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. He led the successful European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
contribution to the campaign for the commutation of the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
of British man, Mirza Tahir Hussain
Mirza Tahir Hussain
Mirza Tahir Hussain is a British man released on 17 November 2006 after spending 18 years on death row in Pakistan for the murder of a taxicab driver named Jamshed Khan in 1988, a crime which he says he committed in self-defence, as Khan pulled out a gun and tried to sexually assault him. In the...
, who had spent half of his life on death row in Pakistan, for a crime he maintains he did not commit.
In December 2009, Karim was appointed as the Legal Affairs Spokesperson for the Conservative Group in the European Parliament. Karim also now serves on the Industry, Research and Energy Committee and is a substitute member of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.
He is currently a member of the delegations with the Mashreq countries and the delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and a substitute member on the delegation for relations with Canada.
On 26 November 2008, whilst visiting India as part of a European Parliament Committee on International Trade
Committee on International Trade
The Committee on International Trade INTA is a committee of the European Parliament.-External links:*...
delegation (ahead of an EU-India summit), he was caught up in the Mumbai attacks in the lobby of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower is a five-star hotel located in the Colaba region of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, next to the Gateway of India. Part of the Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, this building is considered the flagship property of the group and contains 565 rooms...
hotel. Speaking to the Associated Press while holed up in the hotel's restaurant shortly after the terrorists gained control of the hotel, Karim said "I was in the main lobby and there was all of a sudden a lot of firing outside...all of a sudden another gunmen appeared in front of us, carrying machine gun-type weapons. And he just started firing at us ... I just turned and ran in the opposite direction."
External links
- Official website
- Profile on the European Parliament website
- Profile at MiCandidate